Who's moved from the midwest to LA and stayed long term? (Palm Springs: transplants, home) - Los Angeles - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

jc76 · 08-01-2009, 03:51 PM

Not trying to burn up thread space, but I am curious how many midwesterners move to LA and actually stay there for a lengthy time. If so how do you feel when you have to come back to the midwest to visit friends or family? Do you get depressed? When I come back to Indiana after being out west I get pretty down because it's so much more tense in the midwest. People here are so different and personal. So really I just wanna get some other people's opinions on this.

hsw · 08-01-2009, 04:08 PM

So much of people's impressions of places depend upon one's own socio-economics and aspirations for upward mobility

LA (or any other urban region) has a different "feel" and happiness coefficient if one is educated and has bucks vs if one doesn't

Midwest is a big, socio-economically diverse place....it's been exporting its smartest HS grads out to leading colleges in Northeast and CA for decades; almost none of those people ever return to Midwest to seek career opportunities...perhaps best testimonial to current and future economy/culture of Midwest cities, even its crown jewel, Chic

timelesschild · 08-01-2009, 04:37 PM

Here's my question for you, jc76: why do you keep leaving so quickly after getting to CA?

If you can identify the problems that are causing you to keep going back to IN, that will show you what to do to fix them. If I understand correctly, you keep running out of money shortly after getting here? Correct me if I'm wrong...

If you can figure out how to move with a little better financial game plan, it will make all the difference for you...

lalife · 08-01-2009, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timelesschild

Here's my question for you, jc76: why do you keep leaving so quickly after getting to CA?

If you can identify the problems that are causing you to keep going back to IN, that will show you what to do to fix them. If I understand correctly, you keep running out of money shortly after getting here? Correct me if I'm wrong...

If you can figure out how to move with a little better financial game plan, it will make all the difference for you...

Spot on observation. He keeps posting on here like magically someday things are going to be so rosy by moving to LA. But like everyone knows, without the education and money from a good job that education can bring, he will forever be on this hamster wheel of "wishful thinking".

lalife · 08-01-2009, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hsw

Midwest is a big, socio-economically diverse place....it's been exporting its smartest HS grads out to leading colleges in Northeast and CA for decades; almost none of those people ever return to Midwest to seek career opportunities...perhaps best testimonial to current and future economy/culture of Midwest cities, even its crown jewel, Chic

No one returns to the Midwest? Where did you drag that random thought out of?

I work for a Fortune 500 corporation in the Midwest. We have several transplants from LA in the office now. They are in upper management positions. Lots of professionals are leaving CA for the Midwest.

uptown_urbanist · 08-01-2009, 09:22 PM

My dad's a California native-turned-Midwesterner, so it goes both ways. In LA I knew many Midwesterners, many of them permanently, or at least long-term, settled down in CA (we lived there for 3 years). For people who return to the Midwest it's mostly an issue of either family or cost of living. I'm not living in LA now, but when I returned to Minnesota to visit family I never felt depressed. I actually felt far more connections between my LA and Minneapolis lives than I did when I was living elsewhere, in part because I knew so many other people (both family and friends) who had connections in both cities. I expect to have an ongoing relationship between the two areas for the rest of my life, due to personal, family, and professional connections in both regions, and a love for both places. I think it depends on the individual and the specific circumstances. In my own case, we're planning on living in Minneapolis for a bit because of professional and personal reasons. In the future we're open to returning to LA to live, and in the meantime will enjoy our visits. Life is long (if you're lucky), so there's time to spend years living in multiple places, if that's what you want.

LuckyGem · 08-01-2009, 10:05 PM

I have been in L.A. for over 20 years from Ohio.

I cannot imagine living in Ohio after being in California for so long.

I have been back to visit a couple of times and each time I do I realize why I left, and why it was important that I move. It will always be the land of my birth, but I can never live there again. I think the hard winters make people cynical.

bhcompy · 08-02-2009, 12:50 AM

My dad came from Michigan at 17 because the winters were terrible and there was nothing to do.

My wife's grandfather came from Missouri after completing his Naval duty because it's "misery".

My neighbor moved from Ohio after Air Force duty because the winters were terrible.

They've all been here a very long time and have no intention of ever moving back. And each one has already retired and stayed or plans on staying when they retire, be it in their current residence or somewhere like Palm Springs

Charles · 08-02-2009, 09:27 AM

There's a huge difference between moving from the midwest to LA in 1958 and moving in 2008.

Those 1958 people (like by parents from Buffalo) bought a home for $18K cash, had plenty of jobs, less traffic, and pretty good schools. LA was a much better place to live for the middle class back then.

Now those 1958ers are retired, they are prop 13'd into low property taxes, they don't have kids in schools and they don't have to commute anymore - but their kids are leaving California.

timelesschild · 08-02-2009, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lalife

Spot on observation. He keeps posting on here like magically someday things are going to be so rosy by moving to LA. But like everyone knows, without the education and money from a good job that education can bring, he will forever be on this hamster wheel of "wishful thinking".

I am not trying to be a smart-aleck. I think jc is a nice guy who does seem to enjoy California every time he moves out here. It would be nice to see him make it work the next time.